Multifunction or combination tools are well known. The most famous multifunction tool is the Swiss Army Knife which has a variety of instruments, each for a different purpose, rotatably attached within a case or housing that serves as a handle. See in particular German patent No. 30788 issued Mar. 12, 1885 to Klever. The design of such tools always involves compromises in the selection of instruments, their size and range of motion, and how they are to be deployed. Many combination tools are thus limited to having instruments for a particular purpose, such as grooming. Some combination tools having a great many instruments are simply poor substitutes for full size tools from a tool box.
Furthermore, many multifunction tools have screwdrivers but few have pliers to grip a small object such as a nut. Some tools have an ample assortment of instruments, including pliers, but the method for deployment may be involved or expose the hand to sharp edges. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,238,862 and 4,744,272 issued 12/1980 and 5/1988 to Leatherman. There is a need for a combination tool having a reasonable number of easily deployable, high quality tools selected for mechanical use.